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Clipbirds
Students attempt to pick up various objects with a wide variety of beaks, including scissors, spoons, etc.
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Natural Selection in Action
Students demonstrate natural selection through a lab activity. For this biology lesson, students explain how natural selection leads to speciation. They complete their lab report and discuss results in class.
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How Do New Species Form?
Students read an article by Niles Eldridge about species and the environment and break into small groups to discuss it. They write essays noting strengths and weaknesses of punctuated equilibrium and gradualism, or other topics listed.
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Evolution of the Virus: Teaching Macroevolution Through Microevolution
Students describe the anatomy of a virus. In this biology lesson, students compare and contrast the characteristics of bacteria and viruses. They discover the genetic adaptations of viruses over time.
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Island Biogeography and Evolution: Solving a Phylogenetic Puzzle With Molecular Genetics
Young scholars engage in solving a logic problem based on real organisms and real data. They develop phylogenies for seven related populations of lizards living on the Canary Islands.
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A Peek at the Past: Gradualism vs. Punctuated Equilibria
Students consider two sets of simulated fossils (caminalcules) that are provided as cutouts. They arrange them on two time scales. One set produces a visual example of gradualism, the other shows punctuated equilibria.
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Studying Species by Examining the Evolution of the Canidae Family
Pupils examine the definition of species. Students complete a phylogentic tree of the Canidae family. They write an essay justifying why or why not wolves and dogs should be classified as different species.
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What Is a Species?
Students are able to recognize that scientists use different definitions of species. They are able to assess the strengths and limitations of species definitions depending on their context. Students are able to use definitions of...
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Peter Rabbit Meets Charles Darwin
Students start to think of evolution in terms of populations. The class follows a cartoon scenario of a rabbit population in which there is selection and change of gene frequency. They receive copies of the scenario or the whole thing...
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Anolis Lizards of the Greater Antilles
Students "take a trip" to the Greater Antilles to observethe Anolis lizards. They study the body structures and habitat of different species, then plot this data on a map to look for patterns in their distribution. From the patterns they...
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Peter Rabbit Meets Charles Darwin
Ninth graders explore evolution. They study a cartoon scenario of a rabbit population in which there is selection and a change of gene frequency. Students discuss frequencies, evolution, and speciation.
LABScI
Taxonomy: Who is in My family?
Find similarities in seemingly unlike organisms. The second instructional activity in a series of 12 builds the concept of a taxonomy and explores the use of a dichotomous key. Learners begin in part one by attempting to group a set of...
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Student Investigation on the Immune System and Hemeagglutination
Students perform an experiment to demonstrate the principles of antibody-antigen binding, the secondary immune response, cross reactivity, and complement fixation. The materials to be used include antibodies from a rabbit that was...
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Species Diversity and Phylogeny
Students explore the classification system of organisms: taxonomy. They examine prepared slides of Protozoans and record information on a Taxonomy Recording Sheet. Two additional classifying activities are also included in this lesson.
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Spider Activities, Experiments and Projects
Students examine seven spiders and put them into two or three groups based on their structural similarities. In groups, they create a cladogram proposing possible ancestral relationships. Students design an experiment related to their...
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Student Investigation on the Immune System and Hemeagglutination
Students study laboratory protocol for hemagglutination experiments.
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How do new species form?
Tenth graders conduct a critical analysis of current evolutionary concepts. They describe how scientists continue to investigate theories. Students examine examples with experimental data that suggest alternative methods of species...
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Wolf Pack in a Bottle
Students participate in an activity of a mock electrophoresis using paper chromatography to study DNA and genetic restriction mapping.
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Charlotte and Her Relatives Visit the Classroom: Spider Activities, Experiments and Projects
Students compare and contrast different spider species that they capture and maintain in the classroom for several days. They identify and research the species characteristics and living requirements then conduct an experiment on spider...